Processing facilities are often managed using process control systems. In process control systems for controlling and/or monitoring an industrial process, the operator typically controls/monitors the entire process or different parts of the process by means of one or more user interfaces (UIs), for example constituted by one or more graphic windows displayed on a display screen, where each graphic window may display process graphics. Such UIs may enable the operator to monitor the status of the different components of the process and/or control the operation of individual components of the process by means of user input provided to the UI. Such operations typically comprise operation of motors, valves and other industrial equipment in the processing facilities, alarm management, etc. Providing user input to the UI may for example comprise providing instructions to a component of the process by means of a pointing device, such as a computer mouse, for manipulating objects in the UI. For example, appropriate parts or objects in a graphic window displayed on a display screen may be selected and manipulated by means of a pointing device.
A UI such as described above may be adapted to visually indicate to the user or operator the positions of the components included in the process relatively to each other. Thus, the UI may provide a display of a schematic arrangement of the components for providing the user with an overview of the process or a part of the process.
Hence, such UIs may include process schematics that graphically illustrate the process being controlled. Such UIs may also include graphical faceplates, which typically can be displayed over a process schematic or graphics and are used to control a process. Amongst others, faceplates may be used by an operator via the UI to among other things set desired process targets and monitor discrepancies in process parameters relatively to process target parameters.
Faceplates are typically presented to the operator or user in so called popup windows on a workstation display device such as a computer monitor. The faceplates are generally displayed on the display device overlaid or superimposed on the process graphics. In some applications or circumstances, it may be desirable to have several faceplates displayed on the display device simultaneously, for example for having quick access to specific operations and for comparing contents of different faceplates with each other. This may allow the user to compare e.g. status and available operations of different components of the process on a more detailed level compared to that available from the process graphics alone.
In particular when working with several faceplates simultaneously, the user may become unsure where on the screen of the display device the faceplates will appear. The screen of the display device may become cluttered as a result of several faceplates appearing on the screen within corresponding pop-up windows, which may cover important underlying process graphics.